As everyone knows, in TV and movie plots, there's a gradual building of tension until right near the end when there's an explosive climax. Afterward there's the denouement: this is when the energy falls back to normal and some time is spent thinking about the consequences of the action that preceded.
This pattern really resonates with the architecture of the human mind, perhaps it somehow echoes some vital part of our evolutionary past. Here are a few of the classic types of denouement that, for some reason, seem to pop up again and again:
The two lovers end up in each others arms and live happily ever after. This is the ending that Middle-America wants to have.
After pounding the hell out of somebody, Renegade instinctively feels the impulse to get out of dodge. As he knows he's made someone's life just a little bit better, he says his goodbyes then rides off into the sunset, alone.
At the end of Critters, the camera pans to a shot of the barn, where a couple critter eggs still remain. You always know when this ending is coming: the action was fun, exciting, and a little bit scary, but as the temporary fulfillment quickly subsides, there's a vague sense of dread, a feeling that the seeds have been planted for trouble down the road. There will be further consequences...
No comments:
Post a Comment